WORDS MAX RESETAR // ILLUSTRATIONS ADDISON FOOTE +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++The year is 2060. Ten years ago, a pair of footwear designers created a shoe that
literally forms around a foot that steps on a button—The Button. It’s built for
performance, but it’s also stylish, comfortable, functional and taking over the
world (and beyond).*THE
FUTURE
ISSUEX
avier Wilson looks out at the
streets of Madrid from the top
of the GLO Center. It’s still early
in the morning on the first day
of July, but the sun is already
beating down on Plaza Mayor. Wilson’s
goatee has more salt than pepper these
days and he recently shaved off what
remained of his hair. He’s dressed in all
black, watching people thousands of feet
below him frantically shuffle around in a
disorganized line. People of all ages, from
the kids who spend their entire days on
the Holographic Market to OG collectors
from the US, have made their way to
Spain. They’re getting ready for the first
physical sneaker release in a long time.
He chuckles to himself.
“They’re not ready,” he says. “They
don’t know how to line up for a sneaker
drop.”
He turns from the window and makes
his way to his desk, walking in the first
sneaker he ever released. The neon pur-
ple accents of The Button are shimmer-
ing in the sun.
His desk is messier than usual, its
bright green surface covered with
relics from the past. There’s a signed
jersey from his dad’s final season with
the San Antonio Spurs. There’s a bottle
of Mars sand that his mother sent
him a few years ago. There’s a copy
of one of our oldest magazines, the
KICKS issue with Tracy McGrady, TimDuncan and Kevin Garnett on the cover.
“Yeah, yeah,” he beams when we point
out the cover to him. “This is one of the
reasons we wanted you guys to get this
10-year anniversary story.” He picks up
the issue, its pages tattered and beaten.
“My grandpa gave this one to me and my
brother when we were really young. We
thought it was the coolest thing ever.”
He puts the issue down next to the set
of neon pastel charcoals that started all
of this. He moves a few tablets around,
lowers the volume on the livestream of
J. Cole’s farewell tour, searching but
unable to find what he’s looking for.
He takes a step back, crosses his arms
and stops for a beat, scratching his fore-
head. He dives back into the search and
he’s still unsuccessful. He almost knocks
down his mineral rock supplements but
he catches the tray in time.
He screams for his sister, Anastasia,
not remembering that she’s just outside
the door.
A long arm instantly appears around
the doorway, tossing one of The Buttons
his way.
“Careful! That’s what everyone’s here
for!”
“They’re not here for that exact one,”
she says in a monotone voice. “Relax.”
It nearly blends into his black and vio-
let reactive floor panels. He bends down
to pick it up, briefly turning the floor from
violet to white on his touch. He holds it inthe palm of his hand, walking toward An-
astasia. That’s when he hits The Button.
His first-ever pair comes to life.
“Ten years, Ana. Ten years.” His eyes
are locked on to the sneaker. “Ten years
since we changed it all.”X
avier and Anastasia are the
youngest children of William
and Michelle Wilson. Their
father had a long career in
the NBA, racking up individual
awards. He has two Sixth Man of the Year
trophies, made three All-Star Games
and earned a couple of selections to the
All-NBA Second Team. Their mother is
an engineer and expeditionist. The oldest
Wilson child, Will Jr, went on to follow
in their father’s footsteps. He became a
star in Seattle when the League returned
to the city in 2028. He led the Sonics to a
pair of championships, became a 10-time
All-Star and one-time Finals MVP.
“I’m too young to remember watching
my dad play,” Ana, who’s now 55, tells
SLAM from the top of the GLO Cen-
ter. “But watching Will, what he did in
Seattle, for that team and that city, that
was really special. I remember where we
were when we found out that he made
the All-Star Game for the first time. My
mom was getting ready for her first trip
to Mars. She had been working on it for so
long. So she was training at this spot in
Miami, getting ready for the trip. We were*It’s also fake. This story is from the future. There’s no button you can step on that will result in a real-life sneaker. YET.
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